Sweet Escape
by SegaLovesAnime09
Summary: Short, sweet, loving stories of everybody's favorite FF7 couple, Cloud and Tifa. My first story featuring this two characters. Chapter 3 is up! They couldn't say what they wanted to say to each other...
1. A Delicacy

_Hey it's Sega with my first try at a Cloud and Tifa One-Shots. This chapter actually came to me today and I just had to type it and post it before I forgot. So please enjoy this one-shot. Many more will come over time. Please Review. It makes me super happy when you review! =)_

_Disclaimer: Do Not Own FF7_

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**_Chapter 1: A Delicacy  
Prompt: He was being teased....by a fruit and a flavor....  
Characters: Cloud Strife and Tifa Lockhart_**

He needed to tell her to stop buying that particular fruit. Ever since she started to purchase the sweet delicacy, he would sit down by the bar's counter and watch her eat it ever-so-slowly. At first, it did nothing to him. He would just sit there on the stool, her ruby eyes watching him as she gather the fruit into her hands and took a bite. At some point there, he wonder, she must have conjured up a plan to tease him and it was working.

The second time he sat by the bar to watch her eat the fruit, she took her time, sinking her teeth to the fruit almost grazing-like. He watched curiously, his bright and unusual eyes still on her mouth as she broke a piece of the fruit and popped it into her mouth. He gulped slightly as she turned away to put the fruit back into the fridge.

The third time, he almost lost control of himself. She was humming against the fruit. Gods, she was humming with the fruit in her mouth. Her lips enclosed around the fruit to where her hand held it, her eyes closed. He resisted the urge of popping that fruit out of her mouth and just carry her away. With her elbows propped up on the countertop, she twirled the fruit with the use of her fingers. This rattled his nerves. He wondered whether she knew what she was doing to him.

She insisted that the fruit was brought for their adopted daughter, Marlene, who equally enjoyed the fruit just as much as her. He shook his head at her excuse and pointed an accusing finger at her, but opted in saying nothing to her.

The fourth time she teased him with the fruit, he couldn't sit there anymore and let her have her way with him. He came home late one night to find her in the kitchen, her back facing him. He tilted his head curiously as he closed the entrance door, causing her to jump slightly and gazed at his exhausted form. She gave him her smile; the smile reserved for him, and returned her focus to what she was doing.

With a weak smile, he walked into the kitchen to join her and ask her about her day. But instead, his eyes widened at the sight of the fruit neatly placed by stove. He watched her, as she poured a dark substance into a bowl from a small pot. Without looking at him, she asked if he wanted anything to drink and eat. He looked back and forth between her figure and the bowl/fruit combo. He grunted. She smiled. It was his way of saying yes. She placed the fruit and bowl onto the counter and went to fetch his meal. He slowly sat down, his eyes stayed focused on the items in front of him. He toyed with his mind, wondering why this woman enjoyed teasing him so much.

She returned, with a heated plate of the evening's dinner and a glass of iced tea. He watched her plop down on the stool next to him and reached over to retrieve her delicacies. From the corner of his eye, he noticed how she innocently dipped the fruit into the bowl, covering the fruit with the substance he recognized as chocolate. His mind began to torture his soul; different ideas and thoughts sprung from the depths of his mind about what else she can do with that chocolate. He frowned and dismissed his thoughts immediately and returned to his meal.

Once again, his gaze landed on her. She held the dipped fruit in front of her. That's when he opened his mouth in sheer surprise. She was licking the chocolate off the fruit almost like she was enjoying it. Again, his mind sprang to life and sends him perverted thoughts of the use of her tongue on him. He felt all of his blood rush to his face. Quickly and without hesitation, he grabbed his glass and took a large gulp of the sweetened tea.

She watched him curiously as he placed the glass back down with a sigh. Her quirked eyebrow raised and he gave her reassurance that he was fine. Shrugging it off and not really wanting to bother him, she returned to the cursed delicacy. Yes, he said it. The fruit was cursed. And she was the one who placed the curse of the fruit. Amazingly, he finished his meal and went to wash the plate himself, so that she wouldn't. Truthfully, he didn't want her to. He wanted to see what else she would do with the fruit. She probably read his thoughts when he finished, quickly gesturing him to sit back down next to her.

Nodding, he took his rightful place next to her. She asked him about his day. Calmly and without trying to gaze at her relaxed form munching on the fruit (which failed), he stammered to tell her his day, fighting some monsters that crossed his path and the old woman that he delivered a package for her son. He noticed her ruby eyes sparkled as he talked admirably about the old woman's sweet personality. Her eyes then soften when he mentioned that the old woman reminded him of his now-gone mother almost.

He sighed in relief as she finished her fruit but held back a gasp when she reached for another and dipped it into the bowl. Gods, she couldn't eat that all day could she?

"Say Cloud?" He gazed up at her. Tifa twirled the dipped fruit in front of him, some of the chocolate dripped onto her delicate fingers. He raised a questioning eyebrow. She giggled. "Try one. It's delicious."

He stared at her hard. She was asking him to try the fruit after all this time. "Any reason why, Teef?" She giggled. He knew how much she enjoyed her nickname from him. She nodded and proceeded to inch the fruit closer to his lips. He couldn't help but just open his mouth and let her aligned the fruit on his tongue. Instantly, he tasted the sugary sweetness of chocolate and the tantalizing juice of the fruit.

"Oh no reason. It's just that," she let out a soft moan as he closed his mouth on her finger ever so gently. "Ever since I started to buy strawberries, you would never eat one. Instead, you would watch me eat one and might I add the look you gave me was quite sexy. It's like you just wanted to whisk me away."

Cloud chuckled deeply, his mouth still around Tifa's fingers. Opening his mouth slightly, he allowed her to remove her fingers and reach for another strawberry. "Oh? So you knew then?"

Tifa smiled as she dipped another strawberry in her chocolate bowl. "Cloud, I know when your gaze is on me. My body shivers in response." She said teasingly. She plopped the dipped part of her fruit into her mouth and gave him a cheeky smile. He glanced at the remnants of the dripped chocolate between her knuckles.

"Then why continue to tease me if you knew?" Cloud questioned as he grabbed her hand and sweetly, placed his mouth on her knuckles and savored the taste of chocolate and Tifa combined together.

Tifa laughed as she felt the tip of his tongue lightly licked up the chocolate as he held his shining blue eyes locked with her red wine eyes. She watched in content when he pulled away from her hand. She then dipped one finger into the chocolate and smothered the creamy sweetness over his lips. "I just love to tease you." She murmured into his ear. She placed her lips on his chocolate covered ones.

Cloud, even though he entered a state of pure bliss, eventually gave up on the idea of telling her to stop buying strawberries.

Who knew that a simple delicacy could tease him so much?

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_I hoped you guys enjoyed this first installment of the one-shots I will be writing. I really enjoy reading some one-shot collections here so I wanted to add my part. If you guys want, I gladly take any requests you have. Please Review!!_


	2. Stuck

_Hey I'm back with another One-Shot. I wanna thank LadyTeefStrife, LogantheJetPsychicDuelist, Rend, Midnight Angel Sakura, BlizzardAngel, and anime-heroine for reviewing my first chapter! You guys rock! Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII...sadly...Yeah I know right...._

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_**Chapter 2: Stuck  
Prompt: They enjoy having their bodies pressed together, even if it was a game.  
Characters: Cloud Strife and Tifa Lockhart**_

His scarred brow twitched. Beads of sweat pumped and slithered down his face. He didn't know how long it will be until his form will collapse on top of the woman he's grown to love. Yet, he managed, with the bits of strength he had, to hold on longer. However, it is of no use if he could hear her moan out his name, breathing against his ear.

Their limbs were entangled, hooked, and knotted, locked together during this dance. It was sheer agony; oh how much he would love to end it here and make her his.

He felt her press onto his body, her perfect chest on his toned torso. His mako enhanced eyes took note of her slender arms working their way around his neck. Her skin radiated heat, the warmth welcoming his bare chest.

The windows were foggy because of the passion burning as he groaned and tried to shift his position, but it failed as she arched her hips in response. It was overwhelming; she was his and his alone. Always his, it had been that way since they were younger.

She was destined to be his, but his shyness prevented him from getting any closer to her. His vulnerability caused him to react differently around her. His guilt caused him to run away from her. Her. Her. Tifa. Tifa Lockhart.

Tonight was different, though. No darkness destroying the Planet, no fights or wars to engage, no adrenaline and lust to ruin a moment like this. No work or duties that they're obligated to do, no adopted kids to look after; just the two of them, alone, on the floor, wrapped in a lusty, passionate embrace.

Her tender, patient voice filled the silent room. "Cloud…" She was always waiting for him, since the day he left for SOLDIER. Promising her that night he would protect her, be her hero, her knight in shining armor. Countless of times he saved her, his damsel in distress, his friend, his best friend, his crush, his comrade, his light. He couldn't bear being in a world without her, without her love and understanding, her patience and wisdom, her voice and personality. She was the last barrier he must protect to keep him sane to this world, a world where any day could possibly be his last.

She was a fighter; that elongated thin scar across her chest bare her story of tragedy, achievement and love. She's lost everything just like him, but gain so much out a simple tragedy they experienced together. Out of the ashes, they survived and cling to one other to support. Even if he hurt her and pushed her away, she was there waiting for him with open arms. She was his Tifa and he was her Cloud.

"Right Hand on Green." She nibbled his ear lovingly, hoping to distract him.

He groaned as he reached under his torso on the far side of the plastic mat to a green circle. But he never made it. He fell onto the mat, her body arched in victory over him.

"I WON!" Tifa cheered as she removed herself from the mat and smiled at Cloud who remained still.

He couldn't help but smile at her, as he rolled onto his back. "No fair. You cheated!"

Tifa laughed as she waved her pointer finger at him. "Nah uh! I won fair and square!"

He mumbled as he sat up on the mat. "You use your female charms on me!" She looked at him quizzically. "You distracted me!"

She couldn't help but laugh at his childish whines. "You have no proof that I used my 'charms' to distract you."

"Oh? So nibbling on my ear, breathing against my neck, and rubbing against me isn't proof enough?"

She pecked him on the lips. "Cloud, it's a physical game. Of course I have to do all that to you."

"I still think you cheated because you were enjoying it too much." Cloud mumbled against her lips, causing her to chuckle.

"Mmm why you say that?" She sat on his lap, looking straight into his clear, lusty blue eyes.

"Your moaning was distracting me."

They laughed as she pressed forward for a passionate kiss. "Ok so I did cheat, but it's your fault for being too damn irresistible."

He wrapped his arms around her waist as they pull into another round of acute kissing. "And it's your fault for being too damn sexy." She pulled away from his lips and smiled, her red eyes shined brightly.

"We have to thank Yuffie for bringing us this game of Twister."

"And for taking the kids for the weekend." He winked.

Twister brought them closer together, if not, even more.

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_Sorry for the shortness and the wait. I promise to update soon! And once again, if you have any ideas, please tell me and I'll be happy to type it! Please review!_


	3. Radio

_Sorry for the wait, everyone! I was real busy with classes and going out of town. Please forgive me! Wanna thank the reviewers for the last chapter! LadyTeefStrife, gxFANGIRL XD, Rend, anime-heroine, and Midnight Angel Sakura. Thank you so much! You guys are the bomb! Please read and review!_

_A/N: This is a song chapter so may I recommend my readers to have the music playing while you read this chapter. It will set the mood. If you don't want to, that's fine, but please do review! Do not own FF7....May Saddness bear down on upon us...._

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**_Chapter 3: Radio_  
_Prompt: They couldn't say what they wanted to say to each other..._  
_Song used in this Chapter: One Sweet Day by Boyz II Men feat. Mariah Carey._  
_Set before AC/ACC events; Hints of in-game spoilers!_  
**

Seventh Heaven was closed for the rest of the night as Tifa started to wash the dishes before she dragged herself to the showers and to bed. The two children who she came to love and nurture were tucked already for bed around 10. By midnight, she ushered the last customer out of her daily busy bar.

Tifa sighed as she finished her daily routine of washing, rinsing and drying the utensils. Of course, she had the radio turned on behind her, something she finds comforting since he had left a month ago. Tuned into her favorite radio station, Tifa's mind kept her occupied with the thoughts of Cloud's well-being and whereabouts. 'Why did he leave?', 'Is he ok?', and 'I'm going to kill him when I see him again' were the same thoughts every night that accompanied her through her new days of being alone without his protection.

Tifa jumped at the new sound that filled the room after a soft melody faded from the radio. She breathed a sigh of relief as the recognizable deep masculine voice echoed out of the radio, informing those listening to his shift of a new song he will be playing in a few moments. Tifa wiped her hands on the white cloth that hung in front of the sink as the DJ say the song is dedicated to those who lost that special someone either in death or other reasons.

Tifa gave a small smile as the soft beat of the new song charmed its way into the empty bar.

_Sorry I never told you all I wanted to say  
__And now it's too late to hold you  
__Cause you've flown away, so far away_

Tifa wiped down the countertop as the lyrics to the song brought in painful memories of her scarred heart. The first memory that crossed her mind was after the Mako Reactor exploded. Cloud was barely hanging on to a broken railing, looking helpless. She begged him to hang on, telling him that there was so much she wanted to tell him. With a small smile, he agreed and asked Barret to take good care of her. That's when she feared that she was never going to see him again as she cried out his name, watching him vanish into the thick smog beneath him.

_Never had I imagined living without your smile  
__Feelin', knowin' you hear me  
__It keeps me alive, alive._

Since she found him that faithful day, all battered and bruised, wearing 1st class SOLDIER outfit, he hardly ever smiled. But when he did, it was so small but Tifa didn't care. She loved that smile, no matter how small it was. When he was overdosed with Mako, she couldn't help but pray to the Gods that she could see that small smile once again from him. That's what she wanted; Cloud giving her his smile.

_And I know you're shining down on me from heaven,  
__Like so many friends we've lost along the way  
__And I know eventually we'll be together (together)  
__One sweet day  
__Picture a little scene from heaven._

Tifa couldn't help but wipe a tear as the chorus struck another scarred memory. All the friends she made that were a part of the AVALANCHE: Biggs, Wedge, Jessie, Aerith. Tifa's fingers briskly went over the thin pink ribbon that circled her bicep. Aerith's death hit her hard, but not as much as it did to Cloud. Cloud was devastated, unable to forgive himself for causing her death. Seeing Cloud this way caused her heart to break. Her feelings towards him began to crush, believing that the young man was in love with the Ancient.

Tifa looked down at her cleaned countertop, staring at her reflection. Though she believed it was wrong to love someone who might not return those feelings, she couldn't help it; Tifa Lockhart was in love with Cloud Strife.

Raindrops began to trickle down the window as she paced over and cast a glance at the dark clouds and night. "Cloud," she barely whispered as she pressed her forehead on the cool glass. A lone tear fell onto the floor. "Come back to me, Cloud. I miss you so much."

Miles away in a worn-out church that once belong to the fallen Ancient, Cloud inspected his beloved bike once more as the radio played softly. Cloud isn't the type to listen to music while doing his daily routine, but living under the same roof as Tifa for so long he grew accustom to it. Since his departure, he spends his night wiping down Fenrir while humming to the melodies of the electronic.

_Darlin' I never showed you (no no no)  
__Assumed you'd always be there  
__And I, I took your presence for granted_

Cloud tossed the old, grayish cloth to the side, leaning Fenrir's bulk as he focused his attention on the music being played. Immediately, his mind wondered to his previous home, the home he shared with Tifa and their 'adopted kids'. Cloud chuckled at the mere thought. Tifa took those kids without a second thought; she's grown to be a marvelous woman, a mother figure to all those who knew her and a brilliant, fierce fighter in the battlefield.

_But I always cared (But I always cared)  
__And I miss the love we shared._

Cloud adored her since they were kids. Admiring her from afar, he would do anything to gain her attention. He joined SOLDIER for her, joined AVALANCHE because of her; heck, he even cross-dressed to save her from the sickening hands of Don Corneo. She was always by his side, no matter the situation he was in. He loved her for her courage, friendship, intelligence.

_And I know you're shining down on me from heaven,  
__Like so many friends we've lost along the way  
__And I know eventually we'll be together (together)  
__One sweet day  
__Picture a little scene from heaven._

Tifa was his best friend. He wouldn't know what he would do if he lost her as well. He already lost his best friend, Zack, to Shinra soldiers and he lost Aerith to the blade of Sepiroth. Both deaths weighed heavily on his tormented conscious. He lost two very important people in his life; if Tifa was somewhat killed, he would absolutely go insane. Cloud gripped his covered left arm that held the deadly disease that ravage the Planet: Geostigma. He left her alone back in Edge due to the fact he felt helpless as he contracted the disease along with the torture of reliving the deaths of his former friends.

Since his departure from their home, Tifa will call him, and he'll let it go to voicemail. As much as he wanted to answer the phone and reassure her he was fine, he couldn't help it; Cloud Strife was in love with Tifa Lockhart.

Cloud watched as raindrops fall from the cracks on the roof to the hard ground. "Did I do the right thing by leaving her like that without an explanation?" Cloud whispered, walking towards the front doors of the church. "Tifa, I'm sorry…for everything."

_Although the sun will never shine the same  
__I'll always look to a brighter day  
__Yeah Yeah and Lord I know when I lay me down to sleep  
__You will always listen as I pray_

Tifa walked away from the window and headed back to the bar table. Every day, she waited for him to return her calls and every day, it ended with no casual conversation with him. It frustrated her that he could leave them, leave her without a simple goodbye. Did he care for their makeshift family? The friends they made through their adventure? Tifa shook her head. Cloud is Cloud. He would always do something for a reason, never really explaining to anyone what he might do. She was worried. He could be hurt, and no one had no idea where he was or what he was doing. The only reassurance she had was that his phone was still connected, giving her the hope and comfort she needed, informing her he was very much alive.

Sitting on the bar stool with her elbows planted on the countertop, Tifa cried softly to herself.

_And I know you're shining down on me from heaven,  
__Like so many friends we've lost along the way  
__And I know eventually we'll be together (together)  
__One sweet day_

Cloud stood in front of the entrance of Aerith's church, entranced by the swift speed of the rain clouds in the pitch night. He will leave from this place when he is forgiven by Zack and Aerith. He will stay until he could find a possible cure for the deadly geostigma that had the planet backed into the corner like a mouse. He will go back to Tifa and the kids when he is so sure of himself that he can protect them for anything. For now, he'll live in total seclusion as he deals his tormented soul and overwhelming guilt. Tifa was safe with the kids back at the bar. She called him every day; that was all the reassurance he needed and the reason for him not to check up on them occasionally, for it will be hard to leave them the second time.

Raising his head so that the rain dripped across his face, Cloud let out a small grunt of frustration.

_And I know you're shining down on me from heaven,  
__Like so many friends we've lost along the way  
__And I know eventually we'll be together (together)  
__One sweet day  
__Picture a little scene from heaven._

If she had known that he was going to leave, she would have told him what she always wanted to say to him.

If he could have been better with words, he would have told her the three words that could lift his soul to the heavens.

_Sorry I never told you, all I wanted to say… _

I love you.

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_This is like the saddest chapter I wrote so far... _

_Thank you for reading everybody! Please review and you'll get a Cloud hugging Tifa Plushie! *Has a bunch in a box to give away for free* ^-^_


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